


Chocochicks

by BreakfastTea



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, pre-game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-17 11:56:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11851083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreakfastTea/pseuds/BreakfastTea
Summary: Regis hates seeing his son so withdrawn. The attack on Tenebrae had left its terrible mark. Regis wants to help Noctis, but he isn't sure how. Thankfully, Clarus has the perfect idea: a trip to the stables to see the newly hatched chocochicks.





	Chocochicks

**Author's Note:**

> I can never resist a good parent/child story. I also can't resist chocochicks. Thanks for making them so cute, Square-Enix!
> 
> Oh, and be sure to let me know if you spot the FFVII reference...

A knock at the door disturbed Regis from his work. Looking up from his desk, he called for his visitor to enter. It was Clarus. The other man bowed respectfully.

“Forgive the intrusion, Regis, but I wonder if I might have a moment.”

Extremely grateful for the intrusion, Regis indicated that Clarus should take the seat on the opposite side of the desk. “What is it?”

Clarus was uncharacteristically lost for words.

“Has something happened?” Regis asked, suddenly worried. He’d been so wrapped up in war reports lately, he hadn’t had a chance to simply talk to his dear friend. “Is it your family? Do you need –”

“No, they’re all fine.” Clarus leaned forward. “Regis, it’s the prince. I… saw him a moment ago. He… A child shouldn’t look so troubled.”

Regis smothered a heavy sigh. “I know. Ever since we’ve returned I’ve tried to sit with him, get him to open up, but this quietude of his seems to be permanent.” Noctis had been somewhat melancholy after his injury, but it had grown worse since Tenebrae. Significantly worse. Regis tried to get away from work as often as he could, but he had a kingdom to watch over and his good intentions were frequently waylaid by the needs of others.

“If I may be so bold, I have an idea.”

Regis chuckled. “When haven’t you been so bold?”

“I’ve been in contact with the royal stables and they’ve just had a new batch of chocochicks hatch.”

Regis leaned back in his chair. “Are you suggesting I take my son to the stables?” He glanced briefly at the reports on his desk, but thoughts of meetings faded behind the idea of taking Noctis on a short trip.

“Chocochicks are quite sweet and extremely good natured,” Clarus said. “Could be exactly what the boy needs right now. And I’m certain I can attend your meetings in your place.”

Regis stood, feeling the tug of stiffness in his back and knees. “Where did you see Noctis?”

“In the library,” Clarus said. He stood up with a smile. “I’ll have the car brought around.”

“Many thanks.”

Regis walked down to the library and paused in the doorway, breath caught in his throat. He saw Noctis, pale and too thin, curled up at the window, watching the rain fall outside. On his lap sat Cosmology, a book Lunafreya had spent many hours reading and explaining to him. Regis saw Noctis’ wheelchair tipped over on its side, like someone had kicked it aside. Noctis had been walking more and more lately, the doctors enthusiastic about physical therapy, but he had a long, painful way to go before he’d be back to his old self. He still tired easily, and the pain hadn’t yet abandoned him, but compared to how things had been, it was a marked improvement.

But Noctis was not the same boy, and Regis suspected he would be foolish to expect his son to be unchanged by his experiences.

Guilt assailed Regis mercilessly. He never expected the Empire to be so bold as to attack Tenebrae, and yet in his rush to heal his son, had he sacrificed the lives of countless others, including that of a dear friend? And witnessing such a brutal attack mere months after suffering at the cruel hands of a daemon was too much for a child. Noctis had cried himself to sleep after their desperate escape, only to awaken screaming hours later. Since returning to Insomnia, the nightmares hadn’t abated, but by the time Regis reached Noctis’ room each night, his son insisted he was fine, no, he didn’t need company, yes, he’d see his father at dinner tomorrow night…

The demands of the kingdom were great, but it seemed that his child was paying too much at too young an age.

But enough was enough.

Regis walked into the library. “Good afternoon, Noct.”

Noctis startled. He looked away from the window. “Dad? What are you doing here?”

Hiding his pain at his child’s surprise beneath a smile, Regis sat alongside Noctis at the window. “I wondered if you might like to accompany me on a trip into the city.”

“Where?”

“The royal stables. I have it on excellent authority that some new chocochicks hatched.”

“Really?” Noctis asked.

“Really.”

Noctis thought for a moment. “Can we take the car?”

Regis smiled. Had he expected joy and excitable bouncing, he would’ve been disappointed. But Noctis’ quiet acceptance was good enough for him, all things considered.  “Of course.”

Noctis looked up at Regis. “Will it be just us?”

“Us and the chicks,” Regis said.

Noctis put his book to one side and carefully levered himself to his feet. He made it, only for his legs to give out. He cried out, more dismayed than hurt. Regis caught him before he crashed to the ground.

“You mustn’t push yourself so hard,” Regis said, hoping his pounding heart and shrieking adrenaline weren’t present in his voice. He scooped Noctis up and looked at the wheelchair.

Noctis’ hands twisted Regis’ suit jacket. “Dad, I don’t want it.” Anger, maybe bitterness, infused Noctis’ voice. “Maybe we should stay here instead.”

Sensing a deeper issue, Regis opted to not address it. Not yet anyway. “Would you be alright if I carried you? Give your back and legs a chance to regain their strength.”

Noctis sighed and nodded.

They took the elevator down to the underground car park. Clarus stood alongside the Regalia. The roof was up so the rain wouldn’t soak them on the road. “She’s fuelled up and ready to go.” He smiled at Noctis. “I hope you have a nice time.”

Noctis nodded.

“We’ll be back later,” Regis said. He settled Noctis in the back of the car before turning back to Clarus. He kept his voice low, not wanting Noctis to overhear. “Send my apologies to the council.”

“I think they’ll be very understanding,” Clarus said.

“Hmph, most of them.”

“You’ll never please everyone. Go on. Have fun. Try not to bring any new pets home!”

Regis took the driver’s seat. He looked in the rearview mirror and saw Noctis relaxing into the back seat. He wondered if his son would doze off on the short drive to the stables. “Ready?”

Noctis nodded.

Regis drove out of the car park. Rain lashed the car, the storm heavy and ferocious. Part of him wished he’d thought to grab coats, but he hadn’t wanted to delay reaching the stables. Five minutes into a twenty minute drive, Noctis was asleep in the back. Regis smiled. The car always had soporific  effect on the boy.

Fifteen minutes later, Regis reached the stables, a tiny scrap of pastoral countryside in the depths of Insomnia. He parked under an awning and climbed out. Stablehands rushed out to greet their unexpected guest. Last to emerge was the woman affectionately known as Chocobo Chole. She bowed respectfully.

“Your Majesty, we had no idea –”

Regis held up a hand to forestall further apologies. “I heard you have some new arrivals.”

“Ah, yes. The chicks are doing very well. They’ll make excellent mounts one day.”

“Of that I’m certain. But today I thought you might be willing to allow my son to visit them.”

“That would be lovely,” Chole said. “Please, come in once you’re ready. We’ve got them tucked up inside in their own private wing.” She chuckled to herself.

Returning to the car, Regis opened the door and reached for his son. “Noct, wake up, we’re here.”

Noctis stirred and yawned. “We are?” he asked.

“Do you think you can walk? The chicks aren’t too far.”

Noctis nodded. “I can do it, Dad,” he said.

There was an intensity in his eyes Regis wasn’t fond of, but he let it slide. He held out a hand and Noctis grabbed it, hauling himself across the seat. He planted his legs on the ground. They wobbled but held. A twinge of pain crossed his face, but he said nothing.

“Ready?” Regis asked.

“Ready.”

They walked slowly into the barn. Chole accompanied them, chatting about the chocobos and the new chicks. Noctis listened attentively, nodding when Chole explained how the chicks would certainly appreciate lots of affection.

The sound of warbling pulled Noctis on, and Regis picked up the pace. The doctors had told him to not let Noctis push his recovering body too hard, but Regis didn’t have the heart to tell him to slow down when Noctis was so keen to see the chocochicks. And there, tucked away in their own stall were four chicks. A tiny gasp of delight escaped Noctis and he released his hold on Regis and hurried to the best of his ability to where they sat. He stopped at the edge of their little nest and looked back to Chole.

“Go ahead,” she said. “Be sure to give them all a pet.”

Noctis sat down and was instantly mobbed. The chicks waddled around him, nuzzling his legs. He reached out and stroked them. One hopped into his lap. Noctis smiled and tickled the chocobo’s head. A happy “Kweh!” filled the air.

Regis slipped a hand into a pocket and pulled out his phone. He winked at Chole and snapped a photo. She winked and fetched a basket of greens.  She took it to Noctis and showed him how to feed his four new friends. With her work done, and her chicks well cared for, Chole took her leave. Regis watched his son smile and laugh as the chicks jumped over each other to reach the greens in his hands.

“Wait, wait,” Noctis giggled. “There’s enough for all of you!”

The chicks hopped all over him. Regis watched, joyous, as his son played with the chicks, picking them up and setting them on the ground, only for them to scurry all over him again. He fell backwards into a bundle of hay. Regis’ heart lurched, but Noctis laughed brightly as the chocochicks danced across his chest.

Noctis looked up at Regis. “Aren’t they cute?” he asked.

Regis sat down on a bale of hay beside his son. He found a scattering of bright yellow feathers and tucked them into Noctis’ hair. “There. Now you’re one of them.”

“Dad!” Noctis blushed. He picked up a chocobo and placed it on Regis’ lap. “There. You take care of that one.”

Unable to resist such cuteness, Regis stroked the tiny creature’s fluffy feathers. “Hard to believe something so small will grow up to be so big,” he said. He looked at Noctis, but he was oblivious to his father’s philosophical mood, chatting to the chicks and tickling them under their wings.

The little creatures nipped playfully at Noctis’ fingers. He diverted the with more greens. “Here,” he told them. “You guys like vegetables. I’d let you eat all of mine if I could.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Noct.”

Noctis sighed. “Veggies are wasted on me, Dad. The chocobos would eat them.”

“Vegetables will help you grow big and strong.”

One of Noctis’ hands rubbed his back. His mouth twisted unhappily. “Won’t I get any stronger if I don’t eat them?”

Cursing his poor choice of words, Regis reached out and placed a hand on his son’s cheek. “You are healing well. You grow stronger every day.”

“But I want to be better now,” Noctis said.

“These things take time.”

The chicks, as though sensing the change in mood, stilled on Noctis’ lap. He reached up with one hand, scrubbing at his eyes with the other. “I hate that wheelchair. I don’t want it anymore. If I hadn’t had it – ” But Noctis caught himself and fell into a moody silence.

Regis frowned. “Talk to me, Noct.”

Noctis chewed his lip in an attempt to hold his tears at bay. He squeezed his hands into fists. “It’s my fault.”

“What is?”

Like a dam breaking, all of Noctis’ pain came rushing out in a huge torrent. “Luna’s trapped in Tenebrae and it’s all my fault because I couldn’t run and if I could’ve, you wouldn’t have had to carry me and you could’ve helped Luna and the others and –”

Regis was stunned. “That’s not your fault,” he blurted out. How could Noctis think such a thing? “None of that is your fault at all.”

“But it is!” And suddenly his tears were falling, his shoulders trembling. “I slowed you down and –”

Regis placed his hands on Noctis’ shoulders, trying not to wince at how small and frail they felt. “Look at me.”

Noctis wouldn’t.

Lifting Noctis’ chin, Regis looked him in the eyes. “There’s no one to blame but the Empire,” he said. “They are the ones who attacked. There was nothing you could’ve done to make the outcome any different.”

“But Luna –”

“Is an incredibly brave young woman who made a choice to stay behind in her country, for her people.”

“I miss her,” Noctis said miserably.

“I know you do.”

“I want to help her.”

“I’m sure that you do. And one day you will. But not before you are ready. And that day is not today. But when the time comes, you’ll be ready.”

Behind his tears, a fire burned in Noctis’ eyes. “Then I’m not using that wheelchair. I have to be stronger for when I can help.”

Sometimes, Regis thought he understood why the crystal had chosen his son.

“I’ll see that it’s gone,” Regis said.

Noctis blinked in surprise. “You will?”

“I will.”

A tiny smile crept over Noctis’ lips. “Thanks.”

Regis leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Noctis’ forehead. “I’m proud of you,” he said, voice trembling. He blinked hard against his own tears. “So proud.”

A small hand gripped Regis’ jacket. Noctis didn’t speak. He didn’t need to.

The chicks began hopping around Noctis’ lap again, their soft cries filling the space. Regis sat back, picked up the smallest chick, and popped on Noctis’ head.

“Dad!” Noctis laughed. “It’ll make a nest in my hair!”

“It does look comfy.”

“What if it poops?”

“I think you’re due for a bath tonight anyway.”

Noctis just pouted.

“Now, I am going to see how the older chocobos are. Some of them will be assigned to parade duties soon enough. Would you like to come, or shall I leave you with your little friends?”

Hugging the chicks close, Noctis opted to stay put. Regis headed out and found Chole in the main area of the stable. He wanted to give Noctis some space, let him have some fun for a while. Moments later, Noctis’ soft laughter drifted across the stable once again, accompanied by the happy calls of the chocobos.

Regis returned after half an hour. He found his son curled up on his side, the chicks nestled against him, dozing adorably. He opened his mouth to speak, but Noctis hushed him. Edging around them, Regis returned to his hay bale.

“Dad?”

“Yes?”

“Can I come back again tomorrow?” Noctis asked.

“Of course. But I might not be able to come with you.”

“That’s okay.”

Noctis’ voice was tight. Regis frowned. “Are you in pain?”

“I’m fine.”

Regis placed a hand on Noctis’ shoulder. His son flinched.

“I don’t wanna go yet,” Noctis said miserably. “I just got them all off to sleep.”

“But your back’s hurting?”

“Yeah.” Noctis’ tone conveyed pain and frustration. “But the chicks aren’t ready to be put down yet.”

As if to prove how not really asleep they were, the chocochicks all gave lethargic calls.

“Hold them tight.” Carefully lifting Noctis onto his lap, Regis placed his son in the most comfortable position then pulled a potion out of his Armiger. “Drink this, and then we can stay until they’re settled.” It was one of the potions brewed especially for Noctis. Not that he liked it any better that way. But he drank it with only a wince and settled against Regis. He ruffled Noctis’ feather-laden hair. “Good boy.”

With Noctis resting comfortably, Regis watched the boy settle his brood once again. With the chicks dozing on Noctis’ belly, Noctis snuggled closer to Regis, his “kwehing” armful not stirring. Regis heard a gentle hum, the tune a familiar nursery rhyme. It was a habit from earliest childhood; as a toddler, Noctis would frequently hum himself to sleep. Regis could tell by the lengthening notes that Noctis’ attempt to soothe the chicks was working just as well on himself.

“We’ll have to call you the Chocobo Whisperer,” Regis said.

A soft breath of laughter was the only response. Moments later, prince and chicks were all fast asleep.

And if Regis maybe took a nap, well, he could cite royal privilege.

And if Clarus, courtesy of Chole, had photos of the Lucian Royal Family asleep among the chocobos, nobody else ever had to know.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I'll be back asap with another story ^_^


End file.
